This ornate flatware set, with its scrolling outlines, rich engraving, and solid medallion-pattern handles, are masterpieces of Néo-Grec silver. They were intended to slice and serve fish at the table. This function is hinted at by the design of a fishing creel and freshly-caught fish in a riverside landscape engraved on the blade of the slice. A form which first appeared on well-appointed dining tables in the 18th century, the earliest fish slices resembled wooden-handled trowels with elaborately decorated blades. By the mid-19th century, the slice was typically paired with a matching fork, like the foliate-engraved example included with this set. During the period of their manufacture, no other service pieces approached the scale, amount of ornament, or popularity of fish sets.

This set has been attributed to the manufactory of John R. Wendt, a New York wholesaler who was granted the earliest patent for die-stamped medallion pattern flatware on May 13, 1862. The pattern, featuring profiles of classical figures in its handle terminals, enjoyed a brief period of extreme popularity among American consumers through the early 1870s and was widely copied by other manufacturers. So far, more than twenty similar designs have been identified. This set is a seminal example of Wendt’s signature pattern. The medallions are large, unusually deep, and pristine. As with most of Wendt’s flatware, the pieces display no makers mark. They are stamped only “PATENT” and “325” (rather than the 925 seen on most silver, a reference to its percentage of silver content) because of a broken punch—a characteristic typical of much of Wendt’s flatware. Both pieces are monogrammed, on the reverse of the medallions with “F & IH.” These are the initials of the first owners of the set, who remain unnamed.